NORRISTOWN, Pa. (CBS) — During the past couple of years, the Philadelphia region has seen a dramatic increase in the number of urgent care facilities popping up in neighborhoods. Experts say they could change the way health care is delivered to consumers.

Doctors Express recently opened their third area facility along Montgomery Avenue in Lower Merion. They were drawn to the Main Line because of the population density and a lack of urgent care centers and Narberth specifically because of income levels and other factors. Operations Director Jim Raporte says the benefits they provide are attractive to people who need outpatient services.

“There is less wait time, lower cost,” he says. “Another big thing, if you compare yourself to the neighborhood doctor, is that most of these docs are closed on weekends or and they may be closed at 5pm.”

Raporte says wait times at area emergency rooms can be as much as two to four hours while their center offers walk-in appointments and wait time can be 20 minutes.

“You can see right away that it’s very attractive,” he says, “not only for real emergencies, but also for treating primary care situations such as coughs, colds, sprains, fractures, that sort of thing.”

Raporte believes they are on the cutting-edge of an ever-changing health care landscape.